| “ | Can't let you do that, Star Fox. | „ |
| ~ Wolf O'Donnell |
| “ | You'll be seeing your dad soon, Fox | „ |
| ~ Wolf while targeting Fox. |
| “ | You're good. But I'm better! | „ |
| ~ Wolf mocking Fox |
| “ | If anyone's gonna tan your hide, it's gonna be me. | „ |
| ~ Wolf to Fox after saving him. |
| “ | Don't hesitate. When the time comes, just act. | „ |
| ~ Wolf's advice to Fox. |
Wolf O’Donnell is a villain and anti-hero from the Star Fox games. He is the leader of the rival mercenary squadron Star Wolf, as well as Fox McCloud’s bitter arch-rival.
History
Star Fox 64
Wolf in Star Fox 64 3D
Wolf and his team had always had a long-standing grudge against Star Fox and Wolf himself was believed to have had had a hand in the death of Fox’s father, James. Eventually Star Wolf was hired by Andross to deal with Star Fox, which Wolf was only too happy to do. They first engaged Fox and his team when they were sent in to defuse a bomb planted on Fichina. While Star Fox was able to easily deal with Andross’ forces, Wolf and his team quickly engaged them, distracting them from dealing with the bomb. If the player successfully took out the members of Star Wolf, Wolf was beaten and he swore revenge on Fox. If the player failed to do so, Wolf cackled in victory and flew off to collect his team’s payment from Andross. Afterwards, Star Wolf was sent to protect Bolse, a defense satellite for Venom. Wolf and his team engaged Star Fox in another dogfight, but failed to protect the satellite and were left injured from the fight. They were given one last chance and given upgraded ships, the Wolfen II, to defend Andross’ base from Star Fox. However Wolf and his team were shot down and finally defeated, forcing him to go into hiding in his hideout, the Sargasso Space Zone.
Star Fox: Assault
Some time later, Star Fox headed into Wolf’s hideout, trying to find Pigma Dengar. However Wolf had kicked Pigma off of his team, tired of the pig’s greediness and his own inability to trust him, ordering his soldiers to shoot Pigma on sight. While Wolf was at first interested only in taking down Fox, he was forced to forget his goal so as to deal with the Aparoids, who posed a threat to all of them.
Wolf having saved Fox
Star Wolf aided Fox and his team in fighting the Apariod threat and Wolf even rescued Fox when he was ambushed in Corneria City. However he refused to admit this, saying that Fox had just been lucky enough to jump on his ship’s wing. Eventually Wolf did admit that he’d purposely saved his rival, wanting to finish him personally. Soon afterwards, Wolf encouraged Fox in his fight against General Pepper under the control of the Aparoids, telling him that when it came to a tough decision, not to hesitate, just act. Finally, Star Wolf aided Star Fox in their attack on the Aparoid Queen with Wolf and his comrades distracting the Aparoids while Fox moved ahead, an act that seemed to be sacrificing themselves. However Wolf and his team managed to survive.
Star Fox: Command
Wolf in Star Fox: Command.
Wolf and his team, who were believed to have died in the Aparoid invasion, soon found themselves dealing with the massive bounty on their heads. Eventually Fox caught up with them and Wolf was defeated in a fight with him. Fox asked for his help fighting the Anglar forces and he begrudgingly agreed, though he asked if he would be paid or not. During this time, Wolf continued his rivalry with Fox, though demonstrated some respect for him. After the Anglar Emperor was stopped, Wolf scolded Fox for taking his prey, since the chances of getting rid of the bounty on him was gone. Fox revealed that he was getting rid of Wolf’s bounty. However in an alternate ending, Wolf and his team led the charge in the assault on the Anglar Emperor, leaving Fox behind. Star Wolf would become heroes to Lylat, getting their bounties taken off and even receiving reward money.
Other Appearances
Super Smash Bros.
Wolf, along with Bowser, King Dedede, Wario, and Mewtwo were all villains planned to be in Super Smash Bros., but was officially scrapped.
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Wolf has a cameo appearance in the opening of Super Smash Bros. Melee. Sakurai intended to have him in game, of him being a clone of Fox, but was stated that Wolf was temporarely a "gray-colored fox" from animations, so he added Falco instead.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Wolf is a secret character who can be unlocked in Super Smash Bros. Brawl by playing 450 Vs. matches, beating Boss Battle Mode as either Fox or Falco, or by having him join the player in Subspace Emmissary. Most of his moves are based off of Fox and Falco, but are used differently. This makes Brawl the only game in the series to have Wolf as a playable character.
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U
Wolf did not return as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U; though he does appear at least as a trophy in both versions of the game. Fox also has Wolf's "Wolf Flash" from Brawl as a custom special. Fox also has a palette swap that resembles Wolf's design from Brawl.
Personality
Wolf is merciless, brutal, and cunning, refusing to accept any form of authority, but still possessing the ability to gain loyalty from others. He doesn't do anything out of the goodness of his heart and only focuses on profiting for himself and his team. Wolf maintains a fearsome rivalry with Fox and is determined to one day kill him, but has a grudging respect for him. He also has little patience for anyone he feels he can't trust.
Abilities
The Wolfen
Wolf is a skilled pilot, able to prove a challenging opponent for the Star Fox team. He pilots one of Star Wolf’s signature Wolfen ships, which is similar to the Arwing. It is fast and maneuverable, using a pair of dual laser cannons for weapons, but has a weaker shield than Arwings. Wolf can also handle himself on foot, having high physical capabilities and the ability to wield various guns, though he seems to have a preference for the machine gun.
Trivia
- Wolf’s statement, “Can’t let you do that, Star Fox.”, has gained something akin to meme status on the internet, resulting in numerous parodies with him inserted into images.
- Wolf has consistently been shown to have the highest physical capabilities out of all the Star Fox pilot characters.
- Wolf is the only AI character to respond to the player’s moves in Star Fox 64. For example, he will express surprise if the player manages to somersault behind him.
- It is implied that Wolf doesn’t actually need his eye-patch and may just wear it for show or to dim the sight in one of his eyes so he can watch his flight path and read his flight instruments at the same time, which is something pilots used to do in the early 1900’s.
- Wolf was voiced by Rick May in Star Fox 64 and Grant Goodeye in Assault.
- Wolf and Mewtwo are the only villains in the Super Smash Bros. series that were cut from the games.
- Wolf did not appear in the original Star Fox and Star Fox Adventures.
- Wolf was originally going to debut in the unreleased SNES game, Star Fox 2.